A Problem Solved, Reminiscent of Kids Toy Slot Car Racers, May Be its Own Problem.

Sweden's solution for charging electric cars is bold, but flawed

This new Swedish smart road will feel familiar to anybody who has played with slot car racing toys.

Me, "I agree with the Writer. Digging up roadways to install, electric rail or induction charging points so as automobiles can continually charge down the road seems a little extreme. It seems that the best and least expensive way, providing charging at truck stops, or at recharge stations, seems cheaper than digging up miles and miles of roadway. Especially, when the time it takes to charge up, at a recharge station becomes as fast as a few minutes."

 From article, (This new Swedish smart road will feel familiar to anybody who has played with slot car racing toys, such as Scalextric. Although, unlike slot cars, drivers will still have to steer vehicles.

IElectric vehicles will collect power from charging rails set into the surface of the road. When on the road, a pickup arm attached to the bottom of the vehicle will extend downwards until it senses the rails, before slotting in and making electrical contact. This device is flexible, allowing the vehicle to move from side to side and the pickup can be retracted and reinserted in case a truck wants to overtake or turn off the road.

But questions remain over the road’s durability. To prevent electrocution or damage by the elements, the live rails are hidden from view. This means that vehicles can only begin charging when the pickup is inserted into the rail slot. One can imagine the damage that might be caused to the road and the vehicle if the pickup fails to disengage cleanly before the vehicle attempts an overtaking manoeuvre.

An alternative technology that bypasses this problem is inductive transmission. Unlike eRoadArlanda, inductive transmission enables wireless charging. Conductors that are set into the road create an electromagnetic field, which then transmits energy to coils mounted to the bottom of vehicles.

Battery charging on the move seems an attractive solution, particularly at a time when we have too few electric vehicle charge points. But the cost of eRoadArlanda ($2 million per kilometre) and the disruption it would cause if it were extended nationwide, makes other options more appealing. For example, long-range batteries and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have the potential to overcome issues of price, disruption and durability. In fact, these options are already becoming cheaper. The price of lithium-ion batteries has fallen by 24 per cent since 2016 and will fall further as more people adopt electric vehicles. As batteries improve and get cheaper, digging up our motorways seems an extreme solution.)

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